Storage battery cradle



Dec. 26, 1950 J. c. WEAVER STORAGE BATTERY CRADLE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 8, 1948 ISrmentor James 6. Zadef.

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STORAGE BATTERY CRADLE Filed Oct. 8, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 p J g 2 \46 l 2 FLqY.

3nnentor ana U. fiaver attorney Patented Dec. 26, 1950 Tomes My invention relates to the transporting and to protection during transporting of heavy and fragile articles having a regular shape, either straight lined or curved; and particularly to the protection while transporting and also while in batteries, and that there shall be no chance of a short circuit between the battery cells.

The object of my invention. is to provide a cradle for carrying such abattery, which shall be strong, and take up little space; which shall be capable of supporting the weight of three or more superimposed batteries in their cradles; which will stand rough handling; which may be quickly put into service; and which shall be made up of few and simplelp'arts; .Iiterm my device a'cr'adle; and formingv a :part of it are stirrupswhich carry the battery.

In the drawings; which form a'partof this spec 'ification: f Y

i Figure Iishows in plan the body of the cradle, with cover removed, and with a batteryin place. Figure II is a vertical'longitudinal section of the cradle on lineCDLin Figure I, with a battery shown in outline. 1; Figure III is a vertical cross section of the eradle with cover removed, and showing a stirrup =in front elevation;

' Figure IV isa' general view of the cradle in isometric perspective, with the cover (partly broken) raised to admit a'battery.

Figure V is a longitudinal section of the cradle, i

inverted, with cover closed, and with the stirrups folded in and secured.

Figure VI is an alternatedesign of a stirrup, in front elevation. LFigure VII shows "another design of stirrup, in vertical section. t

My invention will now be described as designed for use in the transporting of storage batteries. In Figural the numeral 2 indicates a frame, fof wood or of metal or of strong plastic, rectangular in shapeyandin plan having a little larger inside dimensions than the outside dimensions of the battery 4 to be placed within it.

At the ends of the frame and inside it, and 0pposing each other, are two stirrups 6 and Hi, piv- QB F T E CRADLE q 1 i (l -Weaver, Richmond, vs. L '1 l H U f Application October 8, 1 9 13, Seriall Nto. a f L I 3 Claims. (01. 217 47) area respectively at s and I2 on the inner surface of the frame 2. I See Figs; I and II. These two stirrups are pivoted at slightly difierent heights in the frame 2, see Figs. II and V, for a reason that will be explained laterl The stirrups are preferably formed of angles of small section, and of suitable material such as? steel or of an alloy of aluminum; 'and consist of the legs 14, of stirrup 6, and the legs l6of stirrup 10. In each case the lgs are connected by the" cross angles H and I8, respectively, which form a bearing surface forthe battery. i Though the stirrups are preferably made upof'angl'e sections, they may be made of other sectiona such' as bars or rods; in any case being provided with the horizontally disposed bearing surfaces, known in'the' harness trade as the treads of the stirrups, to carry the battery.-' Referring to Figures II, III andIV, and V: at each end of the frame 2, andon the'inside of each of the end pieces 20 and 22 of frame 2, are securely fixed pieces or strips 24 and 2'6; strip 24 being ab'ove'stirrup 6 and strip 25 above stirrup -ID.' 'These'strips'rnay be of hard wood or of metal. It will be seen, in Figure I, that strip 24i's immediately above and in'practic'al contact with the -top of thele'gs'Mtof 'stirrup'ii; and that the strip :26 is'immediately aboveandin practical contact with the tops of thi legs 1.6. of stirrup l0. So any weightpla'ced uponithe topof'the frame 2, or on the cover .28 when his" closed uponth'e :frame 2, willbeitransmittedithrough the strips 24 and 26, re'spectivelY; to-the tops of the legs l4 and I6, and throughthem' tothe'ground surface below. No part'of the weight of a cradlefor of any weight placed upon the cradle, will fall upon the battery carried in the cradle. This is very important, because a storage battery is not built up'of'rigid material adapted to carry weight. In cradles designed for large and heavy batteries I conn'ect the upper ends of the legs l4 and I lifrespectively of the stirrups 6 and lil, by means of cross-bars 29 (Fig. VI); placing these cross lbars at such aheight that the lower edges of strips 24 and 2-6 will bear upon them as well as upon the ends of the legs l4 and I6; increasing the bearing surface-to carry the greater weight. It will also be seen thatthe top of the battery}! and its 'terminal posts iifl and filling caps 32 are some distance below and clearo; the cover 28. This clearance is governed by the length given to the legs l4 and iii of the stirrups 6 and H]. The battery 4 rests upon the stirrup cross pieces I! and IS.

The stirrup legs l4 and I6 are so pivoted that the upper ends of the stirrups, when they are unthan the: longer stirrup-pivot,

folded and set to carry a battery, rest against the end pieces and 22 of the frame 2; so preventing the farther spreading apart of the treads l1 and I8 of the two stirrups 6 and Ill. Though it is most unlikely that the treads l7 and I8 could be forced farther apart, unless the frame or the stirrup is fractured or distorted in some way, prevention against such accident may be provided by means of a loop of twine placed around the opposite: treads anditied at the ends after the battery is in place. Such a'loopwould be a preventer against accident, and not a part of my device.

Other forms of tie-can be devised; but they are not necessary if the cradle is properly con"- structed; and they would be a breakable part to care for.

The stirrup has been heretofore described. as-

made of an angle section; such section being stiff and strong in proportion to weight. The stirrup may also be made of fiat bar, or of rod, square or books which form the pivots entering holes 4-0 :in. the side pieces-"42 of frame 2. Ibend the stir- .rupat 44- to bring the tread 46 well under the a battery case 4.

I have said hereinbefore that the two stirrups 8' and It are pivoted at slightly diiiiererit heights frame: 2. This is thenc'a'se only with batteries of certain proportions of length to depth; and

1where the depthof thebattery is about'equal to or greater than its length: Referring to Figure II, which shows the cradle in an upright position;

and. also referring to Figure V,. in which the eradie is inverted,- witli' the stirrups folded within it: In Figure II the s'tirrups are extended tourec'eive the battery; Ii'the distance or length of w a. stirrup from pivot. to bottom: of tread is greater than the distance from the said. pivot totlie opposite stirrup, when the firststirrup is folded mm the name-2, it. will strike against the-other .and; standing stirrup. To correct this'in a simple way: the stirrupflrst folded down must be shorter than the other stirrup; and since the treads oicthe stirrups must be atthe same level whenthe stirr'upsare extended to receive a battery, it follows that the. shorter stirrup pivot must be placed farther. from: the'top: of the frame 2 Thisis' clear in Figure V, wherein stirrup I'll" is foldeddown first. Stirrup It is shorter than stirrup 6-; and pivot I2 is higher (in Figure V) than pivot 8'. This difference in the length of the stirrups is not necessary when the length or the stirrups is less than the distance of. either pivot to the standing stirrup at the other end of the frame; as is the casein many sizes of battery. In designing a.

-cradle for one of these batteries: the stirrups wouldbema'de of-the same length from pivot to tread; and the pivots would. beset. at the same level. In anv extreme case; Where thedepth of a battery is so great in proportion. to itslength that the stirrups cannot be nested in the frame while still mounted. on their pivots, I remove the stirrups by springing the pivots from. their bearings. In such a case I use a stirrup of. flat or rod 4 form, which, after being sprung to remove a. pivot from a socket, will return to its original shape.

The lid 28, which is shown broken at one cornor in Figure IV to clear the adjacent Figure V, is hinged to the top of the frame 2 in any strong and suitable manner; and it may be secured when closed upon frame 2 by any suitable form of catch. Upon the top of the lid and along its e'd'gesi's a bead 34; the purpose. of which is to prevent a superimposed batter from sliding off the lid.

In Figures II, III, IV, and V the numerals I ands-indicate recesses cut in the end pieces 20 and 22 to allow clearance for the ends of stirrupsfi and I0 when they are turned on pivots 8 and I 2. respectively. When the cross-bar 29 is used at the head of the stirrup, the recesses i and 9 are cut the full length of the end pieces 26 and 22.

I claim:

1. In a ioldabie device for shipping" storage batteries, combination: a rectangular frame comprising/sides and ends of substantial depth; a removable cover onthe frame and stirrups arranged crosswise of the frame and within the frame and adjacent each end oitheiframe; the said stirri ipjs being. pivoted to swing. to positions within the frame and also to swing to. positions opposing one another and. substantially at: right angles to the: plane of the frame, and when. so swung being adapted to support a storage battery;

2; In a foldab-le device for shipping storage bat teries', in. combination: a rectangular frame eomprising sidesand ends of. substantial depth; a removable cover on the frame; and stirrups arranged crosswise of the frame and: within the frame and adjacent each end of: the frame, the said stirrups being pivoted to swing to positions within: theframe and. alsov to -swing. to positions opposing one another and substantially at right angles to the plane ofithe frame and againstthe end pieces oi the frame; and wherrso swung be ing adaptednto support atbatt'ery.

3-. In aioldabl'e deviceior shippings'toragebatteries, in combination; a. rectangular. frame having. sides and ends of substantial depth; a: removable cover on the frame; stirrupsiarranged crosswise. oftthe frame andwi-thin the frame and adjacent each: end of the. frame, the said stirru'ps being pivoted. toswing to positions within; the frame and also to swing to positions opposing one another and substantially at right angles to the plane of the frame and against the end pieces of the frame; and on the: inner surfaces-of the frame projecting ledges arrangedjabove tlie pivoted ends of the stirru-ps and adapted when: thestirrupsare swun out from the; franie to transmit the \veight of the frame and of superimposed objects to thelegsof the stirrups.

JAMES C; REFERENCES CITED The; following references" are of record. in: the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS" Passichis ace-u Jan. 2]., 19457 

